Acidicly Chaising Authenticity

@MayorEmanuel: A Light Has Faded

A hero has passed this evening and the world is a sorrier place for it.

There are few joys stemming from election season: sound bites, a continual barrage of campaign ads, empty promises…

In this season of loathing, there has been a shining-light of hope: Mayor Emanuel. No, not the recently minted mayor-elect, the Tweeter @MayorEmanuel. A true hero who carried on a companion dialogue to Rahm Emanuel’s campaign, 140 characters at a time.

Unfortunately for fans and readers, according to what may be his final tweet, @MayorEmanuel has faded away–to Journey no less.

Even as late as this morning, the Chicago Tribune offered an editorial, imploring @mayoremanuel to continue.

@MayorEmanuel, if you’re listening: Please don’t [stop]. The fun is just beginning, and the mystery is almost as delicious as the tweets themselves.

The recently minted real mayor-elect of Chicago even went so far as to offer $5000 to the choice of @MayorEmanuel’s charity on the Roe and Roeper Show, as was annotated on CBS.com.

“Here’s what I’m gonna do,” Emanuel said on the Roe and Roeper show on WLS Radio. “After the election, I am offering a donation to the charity of that gentleman or woman’s choice, if they would come forward and identify themselves.”

Around 8 P.M. this evening the fun appears to have come to an end. After a day of mooning around the city and lolling at favorite stops, the song Separate Ways by Journey came onto the radio in the Civic.

And in a what appears a final act, @MayorEmanuel danced in the streets.

Perhaps it is fitting to recall General Douglas MacCarthur, who likewise lifted a speech from a ballad in his exit speech.